Feeding device for poultry.



Patented Aug. 29 I899.

a. E. LITTLEFIELD.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR PDU'LTRY.

(Application filed Dec. 21, 1897.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

GEORGE E. LITTLEFIELD, OF HOLLISTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T F. V. MANN 85 00., OF MILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

FEEDING DEVICE FOR POULTRY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,895, dated August 29, 1899. Application filed December 21,1897. Serial No. 662,792. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE E.LITTLEFIELD, of Holliston, county of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Im provement in Feeding Devices for Poultry,of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to improve the construction of feed-trays for poultry to the end that the fowls are prevented from getting into the tray and from roosting upon it or over it, yet permitting the tray to be removed whenever desired.

My invention consists of a supportingframe, a feed-tray carried thereby, and a rod also carried by said frame located above the feed-tray and adapted to swing over the top thereof.

The invention also consists in a swinging feed-tray suspended beneath a rod or bar in such a manner that the tray will tip automatically in either direction with the weight of a fowl upon the edge of it and in so doing the fowl will be pushed off of the edge of the tray or will be pushed out of the tray, and for effectually accomplishing this result said rod or bar extends horizontally over the tray in close proximity thereto.

The invention also consists in an automatically-tipping rod or bar located above the feed-tray and in close proximity thereto and so constructed and arranged that if a fowl lights upon it or attempts to roost upon it said fowl will be thrown off, as the weight of the fowl is suflicient to actuate said tipping rod or. bar.

In carrying out this invcn tion a supportingframe is provided having an opening beneath it of suflicient size to receive a feed-tray, and said frame has as a cooperative part of it a cross-bar, beneath which the feed-tray is placed. The tray is loosely attached to the lower ends of arms having hooks at their upper ends which engage said frame, or it may be otherwise constructed,so as to be supported by said frame in such a manner as to be freely swung to and fro, yet it will be more or less self-leveling and will not tip way over nor will it tip far enough to spill out the food. For simplicity of construction said tray may be suspended from the aforesaid cross-bar. As the tray swings beneath the cross-bar the fowl will be pushed off. The automaticallytipping rod will be located above the tray and is supported, preferably, by said frame, and said rod may be located just above the crossbar, which forms acooperative part of; said frame, and it is adapted to be tipped in one or the other direction by the weight of a fowl upon it and in so doing to throw it off. As the automatically-tipping rod tips the fowl thereon is thrown off.

The drawing shows in perspective a feeditray for poultry embodying this invention.

(1 represents a tray, which, as herein shown, is made of galvanized iron and struck up in one piece, yet it may be otherwise constructed and made of any suitable material. At each end of said tray an arm a is loosely attached, which extends upward, and the upper ends of said arms have hooks o by means of which the tray may be suspended from a suitable supporting frame. By providing the tray with hooks or equivalent devices it may be readily removed from the supporting-frame, and by loosely attaching it to the lower ends of the arms it is adapted to be swung in either direction to throw out any fowl which may try to get into it and to be self-leveling under all ordinary conditi0nsthat is to say, as the tray is swung back and forth it still retains its horizontal position.

The supportingframe herein shown consists of a cross-barb, having end supports or standards 5. These ends supports or standards I) may rest upon the ground, as shown in full lines, or they may be attached to the side wall of a building, as shown by dotted lines, or they may be attached to an overhead beam. The hooks a on the arms a, carrying the tray, are designed to engage said cross-bar b to thereby suspend the tray directly beneath said cross-bar, permitting it to swing freely to and fro beneath said bar, and if a fowl attempts to get into the tray it will be seen that as the tray swings beneath said barb the latter will operate to throw out the fowl.

An automatically-tipping rod 0 is provided,

which extends over the tray and is adapted to be tipped in one or the other direction by the weight of a fowl to thereby throw it off. As herein shown, said rod 0 is represented as frame.

a horizontal bar extending parallel with-the cross-bar b and as having at each end a counterbalanced end piece 0, which is mounted upon and supported by said cross-bar b, and which operate to hold the bar 0 in elevated position above the bar I), and as said rod is located just above the cross-bar it will be seen that the fowl is prevented from lighting or roosting on said cross-bar. It is obvious that this automatically-tipping rod or equivalent device may be constructed in many different ways without departing from-the spirit and scope of this invention, as I believe myself to be the first to construct any kind of an automatically-tipping rod or equivalent device which is located above the feed-tray and when actuated by the weight of a fowl upon it serves to throw oi the fowl. While I have herein shown but a single automatic ally-tipping rod 0, it is obvious that the invention is not so limited. I further desire to have'it understood that said antomatically tipping rod may be employed in connection with a supporting-frame which is constructed to provide an opening for a feed-tray, even though said tray is not also supported by said Spurs b are'or may be formed or provided on the tops of the end supports or standards.

I claim- 1. A feeding device for poultry, comprising a frame, a feed-tray carried thereby, and a rod-also carried by said frame located above the feed-tray and adapted to automatically swing over the top thereof, substantially as described.

2. A feeding device for poultry, comprising aframe, afeed-tray suspended on arms there from and'adapted to swing thereon, and a rod also carried by said frame located above the feed=tray and adapted to automatically 'swin g over the top thereof, substantially as described.

3. A feeding device for poultry, comprising frame, a feed-tray carried thereby adapted to swing thereon, and arod also carried by said frame located above the feed-tray and ,adapted' to automatically swing over the top thereof, substantially as described.

4. A feeding device for poultry, comprising aframe consistingof two standards connected .by a cross-bar, a feed-tray suspended from adapted to automatically swing over the feedtray, substantially as-described.

6. A feeding device for poultry, comprising a frame, a feed tray carried removably thereby, a rod also carried by said frame located above the feed-tray and adapted to automatically swing over the top thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEO. E. LITTLE FIELD;

Witnesses:

F. BLAKE, FRED. GASKILL. 

